Some miscellaneous pictures of French toy trains etc

Pleasantly busy today, so railway made no progress.

Here are some pictures instead. I chose them at random from my "My Pictures" library.

Tin plate clockwork model.

Card model

Imaginative

Collection of HO scale model vehicles

Wonderful painting by Delauney

Train set in a suitcase - Z scale, I think.

Hope my HO scale JEP version of this will look as good when I unwrap it on Christmas morning.

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Currently listening to:

Brilliant.

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Last night's dinner:

Similar to one of these.

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Currently reading:

Rather amusing and actually quite uplifting

One chapter at a time is all I can bear.

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Drumming practice update:

The only way I can think of to train myself away from using my wrists to operate the drum sticks and depend more upon forearm movement is to tie a rope around my waist pinning my upper arms to my side and then, using a metronome, practise the drum patterns by moving my forearms up and down with clench fists. The soft back of a chair is the only comfortable surface available for striking. Hopefully I can build up the much vaunted "muscle memory" in the arena of forearm movements.

The use of the rope is to satisfy my Tuesday night tutor's strictures about keeping the arms close to the torso at all times. I have a tendency to play with bowed arms.

As soon as I place a stick in my hand, my wrist automatically rotates to cause it to move - hence the clenched fists.

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Miscellany:

Went to cinema this afternoon to see the documentary "Hockney"

What an artist David Hockney is.

Still working well into his 70s

SNCF Society

Latest edition of the SNCF Society magazine arrived through the letterbox along with the renewal form for subscriptions. This is a subscription which is a pleasure to pay - and by PayPal too.

Front cover

Back cover

Ah! Those were the days.

Read it during lunch

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Currently listening to:

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Last night's dinner:

By mistake - gluten-free spaghetti - couldn't tell the difference.

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Currently reading:

Africa - the magazine of St Patrick's Missions

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Drumming practice update:

Last night's Tuesday  Samba drumming session was prefaced by an email announcing an end-of-term performance - a bit like a school show. It'll take place late at night in a couple of weeks time on the south side of Glasgow.

We have to wear black trousers with a yellow/blue/green (Brazilian colours) shirt.

Surprisingly, I already have such a shirt which I have always been too embarrassed to wear - now's my chance.

From a distance blue and yellow looks like green

Spent the day trying to master the leg mounted drumming pad. With my right hand I can readily produce a pleasant pinging sound. With my left it is either a clunk or a thud.

Thus the pad acts as a monitor or test-bed for me to develop control over my left hand.

HO scale Chausson buses

Unpacked the pair of Chausson buses ordered from eBay. Photos with and without flash.

I'll have to find out more about liveries.

Buses waiting outside the Gare du Nord

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Currently listening to:

Still addicted to the Optimo Fabriclive podcast

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Last night's dinner:

Penne with Aubergine at the O Sole Mio, Glasgow

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Currently reading:

Finished chapter 2 on Aneurysms

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Drumming practice update:

Excellent session this morning with my regular tutor - tried out some rhythms from Belize whence he has come.


And now, 2 hours at the Tuesday night Samba class to look forward to.

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Miscellany:

Despite initial reservations, hugely enjoyed this film yesterday - best of the year so far:

Cinema was empty

The Kelvin Hall, Glasgow

A feather-weight package arrived from France today - presumably with my little HO scale Chausson buses inside.

I presume from the label which sports pictures of some little yellow paper aeroplanes that it came by airmail.

What I hope will be inside:

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Currently listening to:

Optimo at FabricLive - a tremendous 90 minute podcast that I've listened to many times over last 10 days.

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Last night's dinner:

Black pudding, fried tomatoes and boiled potatoes with a sprinkling of cheese.

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Currently reading:

Since it only cost £3.32 to download to my Kindle, I purchased and have read the first gruesome chapter of:

Very well written but a bit too frightening for me.

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Drumming practice update:

Text message from my regular drum tutor. He's back in the UK after his sojourn in Belize and tomorrow we resume lessons. I hope he notices an improvement in at least one aspect of my playing!!

Did an hour's hand to hand RL RL RL practice today.

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Miscellany 1:

Cycled to the University this morning to enrol in a Philosophy course that begins in January:

"Existentialism and the Human Condition."

Looks like one of those chaps from Optimo.

Miscellany 2:

On the way back home, I cycled past the Kelvin Hall which is being reduced to an empty shell in preparation for a complete overhaul.

Aerial view.

Over the last 45 years I've been to a variety of events and concerts at the Kelvin Hall.

Ella Fitzgerald and the Count Basie Orchestra

Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band

Curved Air

Luis Palau

Miscellany 3:

Off to the cinema to see this film. It gets great write-ups but the trailers I've seen have been a bit (if you'll forgive the pun) wooden. I'll treat it as a cinematic lecture in Faith.